Why are only 3 of 43 Smart City projects functional in Mizoram?

On June 25, 2015, the Smart Cities Mission was launched amid great excitement and expectations. This mission was one of the most talked about development pitches of the BJP. It seemed Smart Cities Mission would go on to become one of modern India’s most successful projects to date. 

The reality, at least in Mizoram, is much different.

At Vaivakawn in Aizawl, a road leading uphill towards Seventh Day Tlang showcases a captivating water kiosk painted in vibrant blue hues, poised to provide refreshment to the weary traveller in exchange for a coin. Unfortunately, it suffers from a common setback shared by numerous water kiosks established throughout Aizawl under the Smart City initiative—it remains non-functional.

Aizawl’s inclusion in the 100 Smart Cities Initiative was not an easy feat. It required three attempts before the city was included. Although the initiative was launched in 2015, Aizawl’s proposal was accepted only in 2017.

The officials of the Mizoram government outlined their vision for Aizawl Smart City in the proposal, emphasizing the city’s aspiration to become an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient urban centre. They aimed to harness the potential of its human capital through the strategic use of technology, while also celebrating the city’s rich culture and natural resources. The proposal highlighted key areas such as fostering a resilient environment, ensuring economic sustainability, enhancing the quality of life, improving basic services, and strengthening the city’s human resources.

After the Mizoram capital was chosen to be part of the Smart City Mission on June 25, 2017, Aizawl Smart City was launched on June 24, 2019, and Rs. 2053 crore was sanctioned for the project implementation. The Aizawl Smart City Limited (ASCL) board of directors was formed under the UD&PA secretary and a special purpose vehicle (SPV) called ‘Aizawl Smart City Ltd (ASCL)’ was constituted under his chairmanship.

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Slow beginning, inefficient progress

A recent report by Indiaspend, which analysed the eight years of the Smart City Projects, made for grim reading for Mizoram residents. Eleven states reported a fund utilisation rate of more than 90% of the Union government funds. Jharkhand (98.7%) led the list, followed by Rajasthan (95%) and Karnataka (93.7%).

Assam and Mizoram reported the lowest utilisation rate at 70% and 68%, respectively. Interestingly, however, the Mizoram government allocated over Rs 100 crore for Smart City projects. This number was five times higher than Manipur and three times higher than Nagaland. 

Four years after the projects took off, six projects have been completed. The smart cities website, however, only has one project with Aizawl Smart City Ltd as the implementing agency and the other projects with various departments as its implementing agencies. This includes the Public Works Department, SIPMIU (State Investment Project Management and Implementation Unit), UD&PA(Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation) and the ICT(Information & Communication Technology) Department. The website shows outdated data as the tender issued and work completed amounts to zero. 

Of the 43 projects undertaken by Aizawl Smart City Limited, 37 projects are at the tender invitation stage. Speaking to EastMojo, Malsawmzuala, JE of Aizawl Smart City Limited said the six completed projects are the Procurement of the Pelican Crossing System, Traffic Bollards, Tourist Guidance Centre Kiosks, Procurement of Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine and Incinerator, Drinking Water Kiosk and Procurement of Reverse Vending Machine.

Upon further investigation, EastMojo found that the Pelican Crossing which was inaugurated on July 17, 2020, in ten locations and handed over to the Traffic Police was not in use due to lack of public awareness. 

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‘How do we use it?’

An official from the traffic police department spoke to EastMojo on the condition of anonymity saying, “We could have made use of it if it did not require manual work and if it was CCTV controlled. As it requires manual work, there needs to be someone to control and press the switches every few seconds. Given our manpower, it seemed easier for us to deploy traffic police who control the traffic using hand signals. Also, the public is less aware of the system, they still need to be educated about it. I do not think we will use it again….with the lack of manpower, it is much easier for us to use hand signals.”

The reverse vending machines, except for one or two, were not in use due to issues with coupons and reimbursements. The vending machine is supposed to dispense discount coupons when you crush a bottle. EastMojo visited a reverse vending machine site at Dinthar locality which was one machine that had been known to be in working order. Upon reaching there, it was found that it was not functional.

The Local council chairman of Dinthar locality, R Lalawmpuia told EastMojo, “It was set up during the lockdown and we did make use of it but it is not working right now. There were some coupons, but they have been released for some time. The coupons were not useful as it is not meant to be claimed in Mizoram.” 

The plastic waste from the machine was collected in gunny bags by the local council officials and stored on the lower floor of the local council house. While the management of the machines is planned to be handed over to the Aizawl Municipal Council, since the handover has not been done, it is up to the locals to collect the garbage and store it in their available space. 

“The children really like crushing bottles in the machine so we did make use of it when it was functional,” he said. 

Lalawmpuia also informed EastMojo that Water ATMs or Drinking Water Kiosks were set up in the locality around August 2022 but they have not been able to use them to date. “We try our best to give them(Aizawl Smart City Ltd.) pressure, especially for the Water ATM near Ebenezer Hospital as there are a lot of people who wait outside the hospital through the night and who need water when all the shops are closed. They told us they want to have it ready for use before April and around June they set up a 5000-litre plastic water tank but we have not heard anything since.”

He further commented on the lack of cooperation between different departments to have the machines in working order, saying, “We spoke to the PHE department and we were informed that proposals for water connection had not been deposited yet but now they have already deposited it. There was poor cooperation between the PHE department and Smart City. There is no coordination between the different departments and this is where the main fault line lies.” 

He said another project – Street Lights had been put up in the locality around May but there were issues as the electricity department said they may face issues as their transformers are running as per a systematic load balancing system. Out of 196 street lights that were set up, 84 have stopped working and only around fifty are functional. 

An official confirmed that tourist guidance centre kiosks and traffic bollards have been put up in different parts of the city and at Lengpui airport. Sanitary napkin vending machines have also been set up at institutions and offices, however, many of them remain unused due to lack of clarity on which agency is supposed to follow up on the refilling of the machines. Due to delayed functionality and a lack of awareness among the general public, only two out of the six completed projects are being put to full use. 

Lalhmangaihsangi, Public Relations Officers at Aizawl Smart City Ltd responded to EastMojo’s queries on the functionality of the projects. “What the public can make use of other than the major projects like playgrounds are like the water vending machine, reverse vending machine, sanitary pads vending machine. For our part, we have completed our duty. But since it requires water and electric connection, it now depends on other departments. If they take up the work, then our work is completed fast. But if they are slow then we have to wait. From the report given by our JE, whatever we need to do on our part has been completed. Now the rest is dependent on the concerned departments. We are following up with them.”

Commenting on the issues faced with sanitary napkin vending machines, she said, “Regarding sanitary napkin vending machines, we have put it up in colleges, schools and offices. People often approach us with inquiries about the responsibility for refilling the pads. This indicates a lack of awareness about the operational processes. The provision of pads involves a payment system. Individuals must pay for the pads themselves, generating self-revenue for the initiative. We have made a demonstration video but we have not released it yet. We are waiting for higher officials to give the go-ahead.”

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